|Numéro de publication||US7764356 B2|
|Type de publication||Octroi|
|Numéro de demande||US 12/232,971|
|Date de publication||27 juil. 2010|
|Date de dépôt||26 sept. 2008|
|Date de priorité||3 déc. 2004|
|État de paiement des frais||Caduc|
|Autre référence de publication||US7446850, US20060119813, US20090033891, US20100315610|
|Numéro de publication||12232971, 232971, US 7764356 B2, US 7764356B2, US-B2-7764356, US7764356 B2, US7764356B2|
|Inventeurs||Ronald Johannes Hultermans, Ton De Groot, Jacobus Johannus Leonardus Hendricus Verspay, Gerardus Everardus Marie Hannen|
|Cessionnaire d'origine||Asml Netherlands B.V.|
|Exporter la citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Citations de brevets (104), Citations hors brevets (31), Référencé par (2), Classifications (14), Événements juridiques (5)|
|Liens externes: USPTO, Cession USPTO, Espacenet|
The present invention relates to a lithographic apparatus and a method for manufacturing a device.
A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g. comprising part of, one, or several dies) on a substrate (e.g. a silicon wafer). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate. In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively patterned. Known lithographic apparatus include so-called steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern onto the target portion at one time, and so-called scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern through a radiation beam in a given direction (the “scanning”-direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate parallel or anti-parallel to this direction. It is also possible to transfer the pattern from the patterning device to the substrate by imprinting the pattern onto the substrate.
Immersion lithography has become an important lithographic imaging technique. In immersion lithography, a liquid is provided between an optical imaging system and a target portion of the substrate to be illuminated by the optical imaging system. This liquid provides a way to further increase the numerical aperture of the optical imaging system, which may result in enhanced imaging performance. A variety of systems and apparatus have been proposed to implement the immersion lithography technique. One of the challenges that is posed on these systems is to handle the liquid as the liquid may contribute to contamination and/or degradation of lithographic apparatus elements. Furthermore, the presence of liquid on a substrate may pose a problem in terms of temperature control since liquid may evaporate thus resulting in local cooling of the substrate. Local cooling may be problematic in keeping stable mechanical conditions of the substrate so that substrate may be accurately aligned for proper imaging.
A vacuum suction in close vicinity to the projection system may be provided to remove all or part of the immersion liquid, e.g., after an immersion projection exposure. In other lithographic apparatus, immersion liquid may be provided without intermediate removal of the substrate. However, a substrate processed with these immersion lithographic apparatus nevertheless, may have remnants of immersion liquid which should be cleaned before the substrate is further handled and transported to other process environments. These remnants may occur during immersion projection exposure, e.g., due to a leaky seal, and/or after immersion projection exposure.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous, for example, to provide a suction device configured to remove remaining liquid from the substrate, e.g., after immersion projection exposure of the substrate, which may be relatively small and may not require large pumping power of a vacuum pump.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a lithographic apparatus, comprising:
a support structure configured to support a substrate;
a projection system configured to project a patterned beam through a liquid onto a target portion of the substrate; and
a pump and a buffer volume configured to remove remaining liquid from the substrate, the pump and the buffer volume configured to generate a vacuum cleaning gas flow near the substrate by gas suction into the buffer volume.
Due to the typically intermittent nature of cleaning, a buffer volume can be evacuated during lithographic processing, which ordinarily requires some tens of seconds. After lithographic processing, when needed, the buffer volume is opened and a high velocity gas flow is generated to clean the substrate surface by suction. Since this gas flow is needed only a limited amount of time (ordinarily less than 5% of the lithographic apparatus processing time), evacuation can be performed using only a moderately powered vacuum pump. In addition or alternatively, the buffer volume may be used as a backup volume to provide gas suction in case of a vacuum supply outage.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which corresponding reference symbols indicate corresponding parts, and in which:
an illumination system (illuminator) IL configured to condition a radiation beam B (e.g. UV radiation).
a support structure (e.g. a mask table) MT constructed to support a patterning device (e.g. a mask) MA and connected to a first positioner PM configured to accurately position the patterning device in accordance with certain parameters;
a substrate table (e.g. a wafer table) WT constructed to hold a substrate (e.g. a resist-coated wafer) W and connected to a second positioner PW configured to accurately position the substrate in accordance with certain parameters; and
a projection system (e.g. a refractive projection lens system) PS configured to project a pattern imparted to the radiation beam B by patterning device MA onto a target portion C (e.g. comprising one or more dies) of the substrate W.
The illumination system may include various types of optical components, such as refractive, reflective, magnetic, electromagnetic, electrostatic or other types of optical components, or any combination thereof, for directing, shaping, or controlling radiation.
The support structure holds the patterning device in a manner that depends on the orientation of the patterning device, the design of the lithographic apparatus, and other conditions, such as for example whether or not the patterning device is held in a vacuum environment. The support structure can use mechanical, vacuum, electrostatic or other clamping techniques to hold the patterning device. The support structure may be a frame or a table, for example, which may be fixed or movable as required. The support structure may ensure that the patterning device is at a desired position, for example with respect to the projection system. Any use of the terms “reticle” or “mask” herein may be considered synonymous with the more general term “patterning device.”
The term “patterning device” used herein should be broadly interpreted as referring to any device that can be used to impart a radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section such as to create a pattern in a target portion of the substrate. It should be noted that the pattern imparted to the radiation beam may not exactly correspond to the desired pattern in the target portion of the substrate, for example if the pattern includes phase-shifting features or so called assist features. Generally, the pattern imparted to the radiation beam will correspond to a particular functional layer in a device being created in the target portion, such as an integrated circuit.
The patterning device may be transmissive or reflective. Examples of patterning devices include masks, programmable mirror arrays, and programmable LCD panels. Masks are well known in lithography, and include mask types such as binary, alternating phase-shift, and attenuated phase-shift, as well as various hybrid mask types. An example of a programmable mirror array employs a matrix arrangement of small mirrors, each of which can be individually tilted so as to reflect an incoming radiation beam in different directions. The tilted mirrors impart a pattern in a radiation beam which is reflected by the mirror matrix.
The term “projection system” used herein should be broadly interpreted as encompassing any type of projection system, including refractive, reflective, catadioptric, magnetic, electromagnetic and electrostatic optical systems, or any combination thereof, as appropriate for the exposure radiation being used, or for other factors such as the use of an immersion liquid or the use of a vacuum. Any use of the term “projection lens” herein may be considered as synonymous with the more general term “projection system”.
As here depicted, the apparatus is of a reflective type (e.g. employing a reflective mask). Alternatively, the apparatus may be of a transmissive type (e.g. employing a transmissive mask).
The lithographic apparatus may be of a type having two (dual stage) or more substrate tables (and/or two or more mask tables). In such “multiple stage” machines the additional tables may be used in parallel, or preparatory steps may be carried out on one or more tables while one or more other tables are being used for exposure.
The lithographic apparatus may also be of a type wherein at least a portion of the substrate may be covered by a liquid having a relatively high refractive index, e.g. water, so as to fill a space between the projection system and the substrate. An immersion liquid may also be applied to other spaces in the lithographic apparatus, for example, between the mask and the projection system. Immersion techniques are well known in the art for increasing the numerical aperture of projection systems. The term “immersion” as used herein does not mean that a structure, such as a substrate, must be submerged in liquid, but rather only means that liquid is located between the projection system and the substrate during exposure.
The illuminator IL may comprise an adjuster configured to adjust the angular intensity distribution of the radiation beam. Generally, at least the outer and/or inner radial extent (commonly referred to as σ-outer and σ-inner, respectively) of the intensity distribution in a pupil plane of the illuminator can be adjusted. In addition, the illuminator IL may comprise various other components, such as an integrator and a condenser. The illuminator may be used to condition the radiation beam, to have a desired uniformity and intensity distribution in its cross-section.
The radiation beam B is incident on the patterning device (e.g., mask MA), which is held on the support structure (e.g., mask table MT), and is patterned by the patterning device. Having traversed the mask MA, the radiation beam B passes through the projection system PS, which focuses the beam onto a target portion C of the substrate W. With the aid of the second positioner PW and position sensor IF2 (e.g. an interferometric device, linear encoder or capacitive sensor), the substrate table WT can be moved accurately, e.g. so as to position different target portions C in the path of the radiation beam B. Similarly, the first positioner PM and another position sensor IF1 can be used to accurately position the mask MA with respect to the path of the radiation beam B, e.g. after mechanical retrieval from a mask library, or during a scan. In general, movement of the mask table MT may be realized with the aid of a long-stroke module (coarse positioning) and a short-stroke module (fine positioning), which form part of the first positioner PM. Similarly, movement of the substrate table WT may be realized using a long-stroke module and a short-stroke module, which form part of the second positioner PW. In the case of a stepper (as opposed to a scanner) the mask table MT may be connected to a short-stroke actuator only, or may be fixed. Mask MA and substrate W may be aligned using mask alignment marks M1, M2 and substrate alignment marks P1, P2. Although the substrate alignment marks as illustrated occupy dedicated target portions, they may be located in spaces between target portions (these are known as scribe-lane alignment marks). Similarly, in situations in which more than one die is provided on the mask MA, the mask alignment marks may be located between the dies.
The depicted apparatus could be used in at least one of the following modes:
1. In step mode, the mask table MT and the substrate table WT are kept essentially stationary, while an entire pattern imparted to the radiation beam is projected onto a target portion C at one time (i.e. a single static exposure). The substrate table WT is then shifted in the X and/or Y direction so that a different target portion C can be exposed. In step mode, the maximum size of the exposure field limits the size of the target portion C imaged in a single static exposure.
2. In scan mode, the mask table MT and the substrate table WT are scanned synchronously while a pattern imparted to the radiation beam is projected onto a target portion C (i.e. a single dynamic exposure). The velocity and direction of the substrate table WT relative to the mask table MT may be determined by the (de-)magnification and image reversal characteristics of the projection system PS. In scan mode, the maximum size of the exposure field limits the width (in the non-scanning direction) of the target portion in a single dynamic exposure, whereas the length of the scanning motion determines the height (in the scanning direction) of the target portion.
3. In another mode, the mask table MT is kept essentially stationary holding a programmable patterning device, and the substrate table WT is moved or scanned while a pattern imparted to the radiation beam is projected onto a target portion C. In this mode, generally a pulsed radiation source is employed and the programmable patterning device is updated as required after each movement of the substrate table WT or in between successive radiation pulses during a scan. This mode of operation can be readily applied to maskless lithography that utilizes programmable patterning device, such as a programmable mirror array of a type as referred to above.
Combinations and/or variations on the above described modes of use or entirely different modes of use may also be employed.
Upon solving the Navier Stokes equation, critical shear stresses can be calculated above which a droplet will be displaced. This critical shear stress is expressed in a capillary number Ca as: Ca=τ/(σ/r) (2.2), where τ is the viscous stress exerted by the gas, σ is the surface tension and r is the liquid droplet radius. The critical capillary number is a function of the viscosity ratio between droplet and gas, height of the droplet versus height spacing, and advancing and receding contact angle. Without going into detailed calculations, relevant capillary numbers are in the range of 0.01 to 0.1 for contact angle hysteresis of 5-50°. For a smooth glass surface, as used in this example, the range is somewhat more narrow with contact angle hysteresis of 5-20° and critical capillary numbers in the range of 0.01 to 0.04. Droplets of 200 μm height and 1 mm diameter (equivalent diameter 500 μm), should be displaced with shear stresses below 10 N/m2. For smaller droplets on the order of 10-50 μm, the calculated sheer stress is in the order of 20 N/m2, as follows from the graph.
In an embodiment, the buffer volume 10 is dimensioned to provide twice the amount of gas needed, wherein the vacuum pressure varies from 0-0.5 bar. In such an embodiment, the buffer volume may comprise a volume of about 100-400 liters for a flow of 100 l/min (at 1 atmosphere and 293° K.) in 1 minute. If the pressure in that volume was initially near vacuum (0.0 bar), it would be about 0.5 bar after that minute. The exact buffer volume dimensions depend on the pressure change that is considered acceptable. For a constant temperature and constant inlet flow, the equation would be:
flow in*time flow on*inlet pressure=volume vessel*(pressure at end of storage−pressure at begin of storage)
For an inflow of 100 l/m and a flow of 1 min and a pressure change of 0.5-0.0=0.5 bar, this results in a volume of about 200 liters. However, it should be note that the inlet flow will vary as the pressure difference varies and so an integral over time (or use of a total gas volume extracted) should be used to obtain more specific values for the needed volume. When the pressure in the buffer volume has dropped to the original pressure value again, a new cycle can be started of closing the valve 11, evacuating the buffer volume 10, etc. As will be apparent, other buffer volume dimensions are possible.
Although specific reference may be made in this text to the use of lithographic apparatus in the manufacture of ICs, it should be understood that the lithographic apparatus described herein may have other applications, such as the manufacture of integrated optical systems, guidance and detection patterns for magnetic domain memories, flat-panel displays, liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), thin-film magnetic heads, etc. The skilled artisan will appreciate that, in the context of such alternative applications, any use of the terms “wafer” or “die” herein may be considered as synonymous with the more general terms “substrate” or “target portion”, respectively. The substrate referred to herein may be processed, before or after exposure, in for example a track (a tool that typically applies a layer of resist to a substrate and develops the exposed resist), a metrology tool and/or an inspection tool. Where applicable, the disclosure herein may be applied to such and other substrate processing tools. Further, the substrate may be processed more than once, for example in order to create a multi-layer IC, so that the term substrate used herein may also refer to a substrate that already contains multiple processed layers.
Although specific reference may have been made above to the use of embodiments of the invention in the context of optical lithography, it will be appreciated that the invention may be used in other applications, for example imprint lithography, and where the context allows, is not limited to optical lithography. In imprint lithography a topography in a patterning device defines the pattern created on a substrate. The topography of the patterning device may be pressed into a layer of resist supplied to the substrate whereupon the resist is cured by applying electromagnetic radiation, heat, pressure or a combination thereof. The patterning device is moved out of the resist leaving a pattern in it after the resist is cured.
The terms “radiation” and “beam” used herein encompass all types of electromagnetic radiation, including ultraviolet (UV) radiation (e.g. having a wavelength of or about 365, 355, 248, 193, 157 or 126 nm) and extreme ultra-violet (EUV) radiation (e.g. having a wavelength in the range of 5-20 nm), as well as particle beams, such as ion beams or electron beams.
The term “lens”, where the context allows, may refer to any one or combination of various types of optical components, including refractive, reflective, magnetic, electromagnetic and electrostatic optical components.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be appreciated that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as described. For example, the invention may take the form of a computer program containing one or more sequences of machine-readable instructions describing a method as disclosed above, or a data storage medium (e.g. semiconductor memory, magnetic or optical disk) having such a computer program stored therein.
One or more embodiments of the present invention may be applied to any immersion lithography apparatus, in particular, but not exclusively, to those types mentioned above. A liquid supply system is any mechanism that provides a liquid to a space between the projection system and the substrate and/or substrate table. It may comprise any combination of one or more structures, one or more liquid inlets, one or more gas inlets, one or more gas outlets, and/or one or more liquid outlets, the combination providing and confining the liquid to the space. In an embodiment, a surface of the space may be limited to a portion of the substrate and/or substrate table, a surface of the space may completely cover a surface of the substrate and/or substrate table, or the space may envelop the substrate and/or substrate table.
The descriptions above are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Thus, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the invention as described without departing from the scope of the claims set out below.
|Brevet cité||Date de dépôt||Date de publication||Déposant||Titre|
|US3573975||10 juil. 1968||6 avr. 1971||Ibm||Photochemical fabrication process|
|US3648587||10 oct. 1968||14 mars 1972||Eastman Kodak Co||Focus control for optical instruments|
|US4346164||6 oct. 1980||24 août 1982||Werner Tabarelli||Photolithographic method for the manufacture of integrated circuits|
|US4390273||17 févr. 1981||28 juin 1983||Censor Patent-Und Versuchsanstalt||Projection mask as well as a method and apparatus for the embedding thereof and projection printing system|
|US4396705||18 sept. 1981||2 août 1983||Hitachi, Ltd.||Pattern forming method and pattern forming apparatus using exposures in a liquid|
|US4480910||15 mars 1982||6 nov. 1984||Hitachi, Ltd.||Pattern forming apparatus|
|US4509852||17 août 1982||9 avr. 1985||Werner Tabarelli||Apparatus for the photolithographic manufacture of integrated circuit elements|
|US5040020||2 nov. 1989||13 août 1991||Cornell Research Foundation, Inc.||Self-aligned, high resolution resonant dielectric lithography|
|US5121256||14 mars 1991||9 juin 1992||The Board Of Trustees Of The Leland Stanford Junior University||Lithography system employing a solid immersion lens|
|US5610683||5 juin 1995||11 mars 1997||Canon Kabushiki Kaisha||Immersion type projection exposure apparatus|
|US5825043||7 oct. 1996||20 oct. 1998||Nikon Precision Inc.||Focusing and tilting adjustment system for lithography aligner, manufacturing apparatus or inspection apparatus|
|US5900354||3 juil. 1997||4 mai 1999||Batchelder; John Samuel||Method for optical inspection and lithography|
|US6191429||6 avr. 1999||20 févr. 2001||Nikon Precision Inc.||Projection exposure apparatus and method with workpiece area detection|
|US6236634||11 août 2000||22 mai 2001||Digital Papyrus Corporation||Method and apparatus for coupling an optical lens to a disk through a coupling medium having a relatively high index of refraction|
|US6600547||24 sept. 2001||29 juil. 2003||Nikon Corporation||Sliding seal|
|US6603130||17 avr. 2000||5 août 2003||Asml Netherlands B.V.||Gas bearings for use with vacuum chambers and their application in lithographic projection apparatuses|
|US6820973||26 nov. 2002||23 nov. 2004||Canon Kabushiki Kaisha||Liquid supply apparatus and printing apparatus|
|US7446850 *||3 déc. 2004||4 nov. 2008||Asml Netherlands B.V.||Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method|
|US20020020821||26 juil. 2001||21 févr. 2002||Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.||Method of manufacturing an optically scannable information carrier|
|US20020163629||7 mai 2002||7 nov. 2002||Michael Switkes||Methods and apparatus employing an index matching medium|
|US20030020888||19 sept. 2002||30 janv. 2003||Nikon Corporation||Exposure apparatus, exposure method, method of adjusting pressure of projection optical system and method of assembling exposure apparatus|
|US20030075204||3 déc. 2002||24 avr. 2003||Lam Research Corporation||Methods for wafer proximity cleaning and drying|
|US20030123040||7 nov. 2002||3 juil. 2003||Gilad Almogy||Optical spot grid array printer|
|US20040000627||2 août 2002||1 janv. 2004||Carl Zeiss Semiconductor Manufacturing Technologies Ag||Method for focus detection and an imaging system with a focus-detection system|
|US20040022694||16 juil. 2003||5 févr. 2004||Canon Kabushiki Kaisha||Processing apparatus, measuring apparatus, and device manufacturing method|
|US20040075895||22 oct. 2002||22 avr. 2004||Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.||Apparatus for method for immersion lithography|
|US20040114117||18 nov. 2003||17 juin 2004||Asml Netherlands B.V.||Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method|
|US20040136494||12 nov. 2003||15 juil. 2004||Asml Netherlands B.V.||Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method|
|US20040160582||12 nov. 2003||19 août 2004||Asml Netherlands B.V.||Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method|
|US20040165159||12 nov. 2003||26 août 2004||Asml Netherlands B.V.||Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method|
|US20040207824||12 nov. 2003||21 oct. 2004||Asml Netherlands B.V.||Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method|
|US20040211920||12 nov. 2003||28 oct. 2004||Asml Netherlands B.V.||Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method|
|US20040239954||28 mai 2003||2 déc. 2004||Joerg Bischoff||Resolution enhanced optical metrology|
|US20040263809||22 juin 2004||30 déc. 2004||Canon Kabushiki Kaisha||Immersion exposure technique|
|US20050007569||13 mai 2004||13 janv. 2005||Asml Netherlands B.V.||Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method|
|US20050018155||23 juin 2004||27 janv. 2005||Asml Netherlands B. V.||Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method|
|US20050024609||4 juin 2004||3 févr. 2005||Asml Netherlands B.V.||Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method|
|US20050030497||24 juin 2004||10 févr. 2005||Takashi Nakamura||Liquid immersion type exposure apparatus|
|US20050046813||14 juil. 2004||3 mars 2005||Asmil Netherlands B.V.||Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method|
|US20050046934||29 août 2003||3 mars 2005||Tokyo Electron Limited||Method and system for drying a substrate|
|US20050052632||8 sept. 2004||10 mars 2005||Canon Kabushiki Kaisha||Exposure technique|
|US20050094116||31 oct. 2003||5 mai 2005||Asml Netherlands B.V.||Gradient immersion lithography|
|US20050094125||26 oct. 2004||5 mai 2005||Nikon Corporation||Supporting plate, stage device, exposure apparatus, and exposure method|
|US20050122505||3 déc. 2004||9 juin 2005||Canon Kabushiki Kaisha||Substrate-holding technique|
|US20050132914||23 déc. 2003||23 juin 2005||Asml Netherlands B.V.||Lithographic apparatus, alignment apparatus, device manufacturing method, and a method of converting an apparatus|
|US20050134817||24 juin 2004||23 juin 2005||Takashi Nakamura||Liquid immersion type exposure apparatus|
|US20050140948||17 déc. 2004||30 juin 2005||Canon Kabushiki Kaisha||Exposure apparatus and method|
|US20050146693||9 déc. 2004||7 juil. 2005||Yoshinori Ohsaki||Exposure apparatus|
|US20050146694||4 janv. 2005||7 juil. 2005||Toshinobu Tokita||Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method|
|US20050151942||22 déc. 2004||14 juil. 2005||Canon Kabushiki Kaisha||Exposure method and apparatus|
|US20050200815||8 févr. 2005||15 sept. 2005||Canon Kabushiki Kaisha||Projection exposure apparatus, device manufacturing method, and sensor unit|
|US20050213065||23 mars 2005||29 sept. 2005||Atsushi Kitaoka||Exposure apparatus and method|
|US20050213066||28 mars 2005||29 sept. 2005||Yuhei Sumiyoshi||Exposure apparatus|
|US20050219488||1 juin 2005||6 oct. 2005||Nikon Corporation||Exposure apparatus and method for producing device|
|US20050219489||1 juin 2005||6 oct. 2005||Nikon Corporation||Exposure apparatus and method for producing device|
|US20050233081||1 sept. 2004||20 oct. 2005||Toshinobu Tokita||Liquid immersion type exposure apparatus|
|US20060023182 *||28 sept. 2005||2 févr. 2006||Nikon Corporation||Environmental system including a transport region for an immersion lithography apparatus|
|US20060061747 *||10 nov. 2005||23 mars 2006||Nikon Corporation||Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method|
|US20060082746||18 oct. 2004||20 avr. 2006||Asml Netherlands B.V.||Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method|
|US20060103818||18 nov. 2004||18 mai 2006||International Business Machines Corporation||Method and apparatus for cleaning a semiconductor substrate in an immersion lithography system|
|DE206607C||Titre non disponible|
|DE221563C||Titre non disponible|
|DE224448C||Titre non disponible|
|DE242880C||Titre non disponible|
|EP0023231A1||27 juil. 1979||4 févr. 1981||Tabarelli, Werner||Optical lithographic method and apparatus for copying a pattern onto a semiconductor wafer|
|EP0418427A2||18 déc. 1989||27 mars 1991||Eiichi Miyake||Exposure process|
|EP1039511A1||10 déc. 1998||27 sept. 2000||Nikon Corporation||Projection exposure method and projection aligner|
|FR2474708A1||Titre non disponible|
|JP2000058436A||Titre non disponible|
|JP2000350902A||Titre non disponible|
|JP2001091849A||Titre non disponible|
|JP2004193252A||Titre non disponible|
|JPH0281457A||Titre non disponible|
|JPH04305915A||Titre non disponible|
|JPH04305917A||Titre non disponible|
|JPH06124873A||Titre non disponible|
|JPH07132262A||Titre non disponible|
|JPH07220990A||Titre non disponible|
|JPH07325279A||Titre non disponible|
|JPH10228661A||Titre non disponible|
|JPH10255319A||Titre non disponible|
|JPH10303114A||Titre non disponible|
|JPH10340846A||Titre non disponible|
|JPH11176727A||Titre non disponible|
|JPS6265326A||Titre non disponible|
|JPS58202448A||Titre non disponible|
|JPS58208590A||Titre non disponible|
|JPS62121417A||Titre non disponible|
|JPS63157419A||Titre non disponible|
|WO1999049504A1||16 mars 1999||30 sept. 1999||Nikon Corporation||Projection exposure method and system|
|WO2004053596A2||17 févr. 2003||24 juin 2004||Carl Zeiss Smt Ag||Method for adjusting a desired optical property of a positioning lens and microlithographic projection exposure system|
|WO2004053950A1||2 déc. 2003||24 juin 2004||Nikon Corporation||Exposure apparatus and method for manufacturing device|
|WO2004053951A1||2 déc. 2003||24 juin 2004||Nikon Corporation||Exposure method, exposure apparatus and method for manufacturing device|
|WO2004053952A1||5 déc. 2003||24 juin 2004||Nikon Corporation||Exposure apparatus and method for manufacturing device|
|WO2004053953A1||8 déc. 2003||24 juin 2004||Nikon Corporation||Exposure apparatus and method for manufacturing device|
|WO2004053954A1||8 déc. 2003||24 juin 2004||Nikon Corporation||Exposure apparatus and method for manufacturing device|
|WO2004053955A1||8 déc. 2003||24 juin 2004||Nikon Corporation||Exposure system and device producing method|
|WO2004053956A1||9 déc. 2003||24 juin 2004||Nikon Corporation||Exposure apparatus, exposure method and method for manufacturing device|
|WO2004053957A1||9 déc. 2003||24 juin 2004||Nikon Corporation||Surface position detection apparatus, exposure method, and device porducing method|
|WO2004053958A1||9 déc. 2003||24 juin 2004||Nikon Corporation||Exposure apparatus and method for manufacturing device|
|WO2004053959A1||10 déc. 2003||24 juin 2004||Nikon Corporation||Optical device and projection exposure apparatus using such optical device|
|WO2004055803A1||14 nov. 2003||1 juil. 2004||Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.||Liquid removal in a method and device for irradiating spots on a layer|
|WO2004057589A1||20 nov. 2003||8 juil. 2004||Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.||Method and device for irradiating spots on a layer|
|WO2004057590A1||20 nov. 2003||8 juil. 2004||Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.||Method and device for irradiating spots on a layer|
|1||"Depth-of-Focus Enhancement Using High Refractive Index Layer on the Imaging Layer", IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 27, No. 11, Apr. 1985, p. 6521.|
|2||A. Suzuki, "Lithography Advances on Multiple Fronts", EEdesign, EE Times, Jan. 5, 2004.|
|3||B. Lin, The k3 coefficient in nonparaxial lambda/NA scaling equations for resolution, depth of focus, and immersion lithography, J. Microlith., Microfab., Microsyst. 1(1):7-12 (2002).|
|4||B. Lin, The k3 coefficient in nonparaxial λ/NA scaling equations for resolution, depth of focus, and immersion lithography, J. Microlith., Microfab., Microsyst. 1(1):7-12 (2002).|
|5||B.J. Lin, "Drivers, Prospects and Challenges for Immersion Lithography", TSMC, Inc., Sep. 2002.|
|6||B.J. Lin, "Proximity Printing Through Liquid", IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 20, No. 11B, Apr. 1978, p. 4997.|
|7||B.J. Lin, "The Paths to Subhalf-Micrometer Optical Lithography", SPIE vol. 922, Optical/Laser Microlithography (1988), pp. 256-269.|
|8||B.W. Smith et al., "Immersion Optical Lithography at 193nm", Future FAB International, vol. 15, Jul. 11, 2003.|
|9||English translation of Japanese Official Action issued on Feb. 13, 2009 in Japanese Application No. 2005-380757.|
|10||English Translation of Japanese Official Action issued on Oct. 24, 2008 in Japanese Application No. 2005-380757.|
|11||*||English Translation of JP 07-325279 (dated Dec. 12, 1995).|
|12||*||English Translation of JP 07-350902 (dated Dec. 19, 2000).|
|13||G. Owen et al., "1/8 mum Optical Lithography", J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B., vol. 10, No. 6, Nov./Dec. 1992, pp. 3032-3036.|
|14||G. Owen et al., "1/8 μm Optical Lithography", J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B., vol. 10, No. 6, Nov./Dec. 1992, pp. 3032-3036.|
|15||G.W.W. Stevens, "Reduction of Waste Resulting from Mask Defects", Solid State Technology, Aug. 1978, vol. 21 008, pp. 68-72.|
|16||H. Hata, "The Development of Immersion Exposure Tools", Litho Forum, International SEMATECH, Los Angeles, Jan. 27-29, 2004, Slide Nos. 1-22.|
|17||H. Hogan, "New Semiconductor Lithography Makes a Splash", Photonics Spectra, Photonics TechnologyWorld, Oct. 2003 Edition, pp. 1-3.|
|18||H. Kawata et al., "Fabrication of 0.2 mum Fine Patterns Using Optical Projection Lithography with an Oil Immersion Lens", Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. vol. 31 (1992), pp. 4174-4177.|
|19||H. Kawata et al., "Fabrication of 0.2 μm Fine Patterns Using Optical Projection Lithography with an Oil Immersion Lens", Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. vol. 31 (1992), pp. 4174-4177.|
|20||H. Kawata et al., "Optical Projection Lithography using Lenses with Numerical Apertures Greater than Unity", Microelectronic Engineering 9 (1989), pp. 31-36.|
|21||J.A. Hoffnagle et al., "Liquid Immersion Deep-Ultraviolet Interferometric Lithography", J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B., vol. 17, No. 6, Nov./Dec. 1999, pp. 3306-3309.|
|22||M. Switkes et al., "Immersion Lithography at 157 nm", J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B., vol. 19, No. 6, Nov./Dec. 2001, pp. 2353-2356.|
|23||M. Switkes et al., "Immersion Lithography at 157 nm", MIT Lincoln Lab, Orlando 2001-1, Dec. 17, 2001.|
|24||M. Switkes et al., "Immersion Lithography: Optics for the 50 nm Node", 157 Anvers-1, Sep. 4, 2002.|
|25||Nikon Precision Europe GmbH, "Investor Relations-Nikon's Real Solutions", May 15, 2003.|
|26||Nikon Precision Europe GmbH, "Investor Relations—Nikon's Real Solutions", May 15, 2003.|
|27||S. Owa and N. Nagasaka, "Potential Performance and Feasibility of Immersion Lithography", NGL Workshop 2003, Jul. 10, 2003, Slide Nos. 1-33.|
|28||S. Owa et al., "Advantage and Feasibility of Immersion Lithography", Proc. SPIE 5040 (2003).|
|29||S. Owa et al., "Immersion Lithography; its potential performance and issues", SPIE Microlithography 2003, 5040-186, Feb. 27, 2003.|
|30||S. Owa et al., "Update on 193nm immersion exposure tool", Litho Forum, International SEMATECH, Los Angeles, Jan. 27-29, 2004, Slide Nos. 1-51.|
|31||T. Matsuyama et al., "Nikon Projection Lens Update", SPIE Microlithography 2004, 5377-65, Mar. 2004.|
|Brevet citant||Date de dépôt||Date de publication||Déposant||Titre|
|US9177849||18 déc. 2012||3 nov. 2015||Intermolecular, Inc.||Chuck for mounting a semiconductor wafer for liquid immersion processing|
|US20120280148 *||30 nov. 2010||8 nov. 2012||Asml Netherlands B.V.||Euv radiation source and lithographic apparatus|
|Classification aux États-Unis||355/30, 355/72, 355/53, 355/77|
|Classification internationale||G03B27/42, G03B27/32, G03B27/58, G03B27/52|
|Classification coopérative||G03F7/70341, G03F7/70925, G03F7/70866|
|Classification européenne||G03F7/70P8D, G03F7/70F24, G03F7/70P6B|
|26 sept. 2008||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V., NETHERLANDS
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:HULTERMANS, RONALD JOHANNES;DE GROOT, TON;VERSPAY, JACOBUS JOHANNUS LEONARDUS HENDRICUS;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:021675/0774;SIGNING DATES FROM 20050413 TO 20050423
Owner name: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V., NETHERLANDS
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:HULTERMANS, RONALD JOHANNES;DE GROOT, TON;VERSPAY, JACOBUS JOHANNUS LEONARDUS HENDRICUS;AND OTHERS;SIGNING DATES FROM 20050413 TO 20050423;REEL/FRAME:021675/0774
|26 oct. 2010||CC||Certificate of correction|
|7 mars 2014||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|
|27 juil. 2014||LAPS||Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees|
|16 sept. 2014||FP||Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee|
Effective date: 20140727